SF Court Clerks Go On Strike, Disrupting Proceedings
San Francisco court clerks, represented by SEIU 1021, went on strike yesterday over a contract dispute. The strike is disrupting court proceedings as clerks demand improved wages and benefits.
The two-day strike involved around 200 San Francisco Superior Court clerks who are responsible for preparing paperwork, processing motions, and keeping notes on hearings. Their union, SEIU 1021, has been in negotiations with court management since September over a new three-year contract. The core issues leading to the strike were demands for improved wages, better health coverage, and resolutions to chronic understaffing and inadequate training. This recent walkout is not an isolated incident; it follows a one-day strike in October 2024 over similar staffing and training concerns. Although an agreement was reached in January 2025, union members say the promised changes were not implemented. A subsequent tentative agreement reached in October 2025 was voted down by 62% of the union members because it failed to address non-economic issues like staffing and training. The union claims the court's failure to address these long-standing issues has led to significant backlogs, delays, and mistakes that negatively impact defendants, victims, and jurors. Union negotiators pointed to an increased caseload, particularly at the Hall of Justice, which they say has doubled the workload for already understaffed and sometimes inadequately trained clerks. Some clerks have reported working unpaid through breaks to keep up. During the strike, trials were paused, and juries were dismissed until the following Monday. To cope, the court consolidated some hearings into fewer courtrooms and prioritized cases with statutory deadlines, using management employees to triage emergency matters. The public-facing window for information on criminal cases was also closed. After more than 28 bargaining sessions and two mediation sessions, a tentative agreement was reached, ending the strike. The new deal reportedly includes compromises on cost-of-living adjustments and a more serious commitment from court management to address the critical staffing and training problems. The agreement now needs to be ratified by a majority vote of the clerks.
